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. January 27-28, 1999, Agenda Item 16.f. Page 2 - awarded June 24, 1997. The Phase I report documents the anticipated municipal growth in the region and quantifies the need for additional water supply and storage capacity to meet this growth without further reductions in the water supplies available for agriculture. Phase I also involved the preliminary screening of 31 alternatives potentially able to meet the future storage needs of the SECWCD and participating entities, and identifies a group of 8 preferred alternatives. The consultant, GEl, made 12 recommendations in its Phase I report (see Ex. "B", Exec. Summ. at page vii), many of which require further anaiysis and study. The Phase II study for which Board assistance is now being sought will address the bulk of those recommendations, as well as comments and concerns that arose during the SECWSNAE's extensive public input process this past fall. DISCUSSION GEl has prepared a draft Scope of Support Services dated December 17, 1998 and attached to the SECWCD's December 18, 1998 letter to Peter Evans (see Ex. "A"). The District has already decided to use GEl to conduct Phase II based on the high level of professional service received during Phase I, the need to commence Phase II as soon as possible, and the extensive background GEl has now developed. Much ofthis work must begin immediately to coordinate with and meet the schedules of other participating entities. The SECWSNAE is aware that most sources of Board funds will not be available until after July I, 1999. However, other entities, including the SECWCD e itself, will be contributing upwards of $50,000 to Phase II, and the Board's assistance after July I would still be helpful. An option to expedite funding and reduce the impact of the $25,000 grant on the basic construction fund would be to fund the grant from monies already in the Severance Tax Trust Fund Operational Account and available for use in FY 1999. Depending on the resolution of issues the Board will address under agenda item II there may be an opportunity to reprogram funds there and continue to fund the Needs Assessment process from severance taxes as was done in Phase 1. RECOMMENDATION Staff recommends that the Board approve the SECWSNAE' s request for non-reimbursable financial assistance in the amount of $25,000 to participate in the Phase II study as basically described in the December 17, 1998 draft Scope of Support Services, and seek authorization in the 1999 Construction Fund Bill to make a $25,000 grant from the construction fund for those purposes. In the alternative, the Board could provide this grant from the Severance Tax Trust Fund Operational Account as was done for the original study, if funds available in the account for the current (FY 99) or next (FY 00) fiscal year can be reprogrammed. C.\~lIUE1l'GENi:RAi:OO^JlJ)NfM"""II.f,WI1) .......;.,~.I.,.,.. e